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23 May 2016

Through the Shadows #Book #Review

I recently discovered Karen Barnett and her book Through the Shadows. Through the Shadows is the third book in The Golden Gate Chronicles series (the first two Beyond the Ashes and Out of the Ruins).

In Through the Shadows, Elizabeth King hears of Donaldina Cameron's work to help Chinese girls escape brothels in Chinatown, San Francisco. Elizabeth, trying to escape her past and hoping that God will forgive her sins, volunteers to be a teacher to Chinese girls in the mission home where Donaldina works. Charles McKinley works for his Uncle Silas's law firm and is given the assignment of taking over the King estate; Charles also volunteers his time at the mission home in San Francisco.

Review/Thoughts: Once I started this book, I could not put it down. I started reading it on April 17 and finished it April 20. (I read it the day before and days after Drew's defense. So, I'm not sure if I needed an escape from the rest of the world at that point.) I did not read the first two books in The Golden Gate Chronicles before Through the Shadows, but I was still able to follow the story without any problem.

There were things I could identify with Elizabeth-wanting to do things for the wrong reasons, in hopes of redeeming myself. One of my favorite lines in the book is found on page 248:

Child, if you think you're to work off your sin, you've missed the point of the gospel. The new life comes free of charge. Nothing you do could ever earn you God's love.

This book ended like a typical Christian romance novel: The bad guys are defeated. Girl and boy marry. Sin is completely overlooked and forgiven. While it would be nice if this were to happen in real life, it often doesn't. Sin is still here. People do not forgive as they should. So, I found the ending slightly unrealistic, especially since the sin was so publicly announced.

If you want to get a copy of the book for yourself, buy it here or enter to win a copy for yourself. (Giveaway ends June 6, 2016.)

I was sent a copy of Through the Shadows for the purpose of review.All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated in any way.This post contains affiliate links.

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I am a Christian and a wife to an amazing husband, a mum to a 2nd grader, a 3 year old son, and an unborn son. I am homeschool SAHM. I write about knitting, breastfeeding, reading, cooking, baking, crafting, cloth diapering, and babywearing.